JOHN HIGGINS moved into today's final with a thrilling 17-15 win over fellow Scot Stephen Maguire at The Crucible.

Higgins, the 1998 champion, made a stunning comeback as Maguire, bidding to reach his first final, fell victim to nerves.

Maguire had entered the final session leading 14-10, just three frames short of the finishing line.

But Higgins reeled off seven of the first eight frames to leave Maguire - who plays without a bowtie due to a skin complaint - feeling hot under the collar.

Maguire took advantage of a poor safety shot by Higgins to move 15-13 ahead at the mid-session interval.

But the Wizard of Wishaw conjured up a flier when play resumed, chalking up the 1,000th century break in world championship history with a brilliant 122.

And Maguire then made a mess of a frame-ball pink to allow Higgins to level at 15-15 and set up a best-of-three finale.

With the tension mounting, Higgins moved ahead for the first time since frame 13 with breaks of 30 and 34.

The final frame, littered with unforced errors from both players, lasted over 30 minutes before Higgins managed to close out the win.

Maguire will be devastated by the outcome after failing to find the form that took him into the last four. But the 26-year-old can take consolation from producing some of his best snooker in the past fortnight.

For the classy Higgins, who ended Ronnie O'Sullivan's bid to take a third title in the quarter-final, it was a moment to savour.

He said: "I'll be honest, it was absolutely mad out there, especially in the last frame. But I'm just so delighted to win. There was so much pressure that it became absolutely crazy

"I'm thankful I've come through and now I have to get some rest and re-charge because I know it will be another tough one in the final."

Higgins will meet the winner of the other semi-final between qualifier Mark Selby and 2005 champion Shaun Murphy.